Fire is an element that humans have long had a love-hate relationship with. It has given us light and the ability to cook food, but it also easily burns and causes destruction. When fires get out of control, they can burn entire neighborhoods and forests to the ground. Although wildfires are a natural part of a forest’s death and rebirth cycle, they often __1__ for any humans living nearby. The people of California know all too well how devastating these wildfires can be.
Fire needs oxygen, heat, and fuel to burn. If you take any of these away, it will die. Therefore, the most practical approach to fighting fires would be to use water, as it would __2__ the heat. But this method tends to be applied when wildfires are alreadyin progress, and it is not always successful. Firefighters have discovered that taking away a fire’s fuel is often a more __3__ strategy. They do this by starting their own “controlled” fires, which burn away dead trees, fallen logs, overgrownbrush, and any other dry vegetation. A plan is made, an area is mapped out, and firefighters keep a close watch on the fires __4__ they are ready to be put out.
Fighting fire with fire __5__ a winning solution for places like California. Recently, firefighters were able to stop a wildfire before it reached the Giant Forest, which is home to the biggest sequoia trees in the world.
